“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.” – Deuteronomy 30:11
“Just write the lesson number on the top of each page so I know what I am correcting,” I told my sixth grader. It seemed like a simple request. But for reasons I still do not understand, this task felt insurmountable to him. He was already struggling with a new math class and working on lined paper instead of a workbook. Adding the lesson number to every single page was just too much for this eleven year old boy.
You and I know that my command wasn’t too hard for him. But he felt otherwise. I feel that way when I look at the commandments of God. They do seem hard to me, and my ability to keep them seems “far off”.
According to Eugene Merrill “this single word ‘commandment’ occurs regularly in Deuteronomy as a term denoting the entire covenant text.” The entire covenant text! It is amazing to think that it could be possible to keep the Law, doesn’t it?
The reality is, no one can, in their own sufficiency. But God’s Word is true, and because of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, we abide in His love and His sufficiency. Because of Him, God’s command truly is not too hard for us, or too far off, because He Himself keeps us.
This week, as we study and memorize Deuteronomy 30:11, pray that He would show you how very close He is.
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